EU countries agree to unblock accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova
EU member states reached an agreement to unblock the opening of accession negotiation chapters with Ukraine and Moldova after Hungary lifted its weeks-long veto. Euronews said the first three chapters are targeted to open by the end of summer. Hungary said it dropped the veto in exchange for concessions tied to a joint conditionality package.
Euronews said the deal reached at a special European Council session in Brussels provides for the opening of the first three chapters of accession under a "fundamentals" cluster for Ukraine and Moldova. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told reporters that "the EU is delivering on its commitments to its eastern neighbours". Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called for a tighter timetable.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the veto was lifted within the joint conditionality package, with Hungary securing agricultural and energy guarantees. Euronews sources said Germany's proposal for a technical monitoring mechanism was added to the deal. The mechanism is to function as a scoreboard targeting anti-corruption progress and judicial reform.
The expectation is that the first chapter for Ukraine will open by end-September. ING economists wrote that "the accession schedule is structurally supportive for the hryvnia and the leu, but actual membership is unlikely before 2034". The European Investment Bank's six billion euro reform fund was announced as additional backing. This is not investment advice.
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